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Crime & Safety

Joe Montana Thwarts Attempted Kidnapping Of His Grandchild

The NFL great "tussled" with a woman who tried to snatch his sleeping grandchild from Malibu home.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 31: Former NFL player Joe Montana speaks onstage during day 3 of SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV on January 31, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 31: Former NFL player Joe Montana speaks onstage during day 3 of SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV on January 31, 2020 in Miami, Florida. ( Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

MALIBU, CA - Famed NFL star Joe Montana and his wife thwarted an attempted kidnapping of their 9-month-old grandchild Saturday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A woman was later arrested in connection to the incident.

The woman, later identified as Sodsai Dalzell, entered the couple's Malibu residence uninvited and plucked the sleeping child from the playpen.

As she held the child in her arms, Montana and his wife Jennifer, confronted the woman, attempting to de-escalate the situation. They demanded she give back the child.

"A tussle ensued," LASD said in a statement. But his wife was able to safely wrestle the child from Dalzell's arms. Promptly after, Dalzell fled from the residence.

Montana was able to flag down LASD deputies patrolling the area from the Lost Hills' Station. Deputies found the woman in the area and took her into custody.

She has been charged with kidnapping and burglary.

No one was hurt in the incident, including the child.

TMZ reported a story Sunday morning that said the woman was 39 years old, and entered the home through an unlocked door.

The sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills station urged anyone with information regarding the attempted abduction to call them at 818-878-1808.

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

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